This is some "institute" that is also about some Anarcho-Capitalist utopia (rolls eyes). Also wondering if this stuff is spec-ed to handle a Category 6 ocean storm (and wouldn't anyone with a brain need to evac in case the engineers got it wrong at their first attempt?).

I'm thinking this sort of thing would be more likely to happen as opposite of Anarcho-Capitalist. Like a big rich Govt with history of sea-faring but short of land (Japan) or at least hip to big "on the water lux housing" (Dubai) or wanting new massive military bases in new places (good old USA), or new bases in their near by sea-space (Red China).

Let the big dumb Govt money make the mistakes and work out the bugs, then later civilian use (either the tech or the bases themselves).

Maybe baby-steps as in just off-shore outside the surf zone, but not so far that fresh milk and lettuce are unobtainable, and the thing can be evacuated on short notice by semi-normal means, and still under the Govt's Law and Order.

Nothing new, there were day-dreams about surface or submarine "cities" all the way back to the late 40's. None of them get past the scale model or investor pitch graphics for the same reason governments aren't going to do it. No where near enough return on investment or valid need to justify the costs.

The closest things that have gotten to reality would be some of the near permanent floating "pirate radio" stations, the "Sea Land" old fort, and that plan to convert a container ship into condos for and park it off San Francisco for all the foreign wannabe silicon valley 'prenures who can't get green cards and/or pay the astronomical rent ashore.

Technology enables economies that wasn't affordable before.
I have no idea if this would lower maintenance cost enough to make such things possible, and possibly the concrete gets heavier in this exposure with seawater, making it not work at all.
But a self healing hull would be a neat thing to build your seastead, or even fancy houseboat out of.

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